CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Sami fumbled with the twins’ bumblebee backpacks and double-seat stroller. The twins insisted on walking with Elias to the zoo entrance. Pushing the clunky stroller, Sami kept up with them. He couldn’t remember a day in late February with nicer Houston weather—sunny with a temperature in the mid-sixties.
He hired one of the red wagons provided by the zoo. The girls climbed in and Elias took charge of pushing it. Every now and then, he stood on an iron rod at the end of the wagon and rode along, letting his mother know he needed a break.
Elias connected with the girls quite easily and they let him boss them around. Sami saw a glimpse of himself in the boy, in the way Elias sometimes assumed the role of their guardian and instructor. Elias dictated who sat at the front, wh
